WFP Warns of Famine As “Israel” Intensifies Strikes on Gaza, Lebanon Hospitals

By Staff, Agencies

The World Food Program [WFP] has raised alarms over the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, warning that the lack of essential supplies could soon push the enclave into famine as Israel restricts aid access.

It cautioned that the shortage of food and other critical supplies entering Gaza "could soon escalate into famine unless immediate action is taken." The UN agency reported that, due to limited access and dwindling resources, it managed to reach only 42 percent of the 1.1 million people targeted for food assistance in October.

WFP highlighted that northern Gaza has been under a near-complete blockade since early October, preventing humanitarian organizations from reaching those in need. "An urgent international effort is required to facilitate the delivery of critical assistance and grant humanitarian agencies access to the area," the agency stated.

According to the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs [OCHA], only 971 humanitarian trucks were permitted to enter Gaza via the main Karem Abu Salem crossing in the south between October 1 and 27. This equates to a daily average of 36 trucks, far below the pre-war average of 500 trucks per day.

Residents in northern Gaza, effectively trapped under the month-long Israeli siege, have received little to no humanitarian aid during the blockade.